"Who bowls Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav?"- Harsha Bhogle after India clean sweep Sri Lanka

Popular Indian broadcaster Harsha Bhogle hailed Suryakumar Yadav’s magical captaincy in the thrilling third and final T20I against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, July 31 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy.

Team India bagged the T20I series 3-0 with a nail-biting win in the Super Over. Bhogle was left stunned by Suryakumar’s decision, which would have been influenced by the head coach Gautam Gambhir to hand the ball to the explosive batter Rinku Singh and even roll the hand himself in the later end of Sri Lanka’s chase in the final T20I in Kandy.

Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh’s magic with the ball seal T20I series clean sweep for Team India

Well, Suryakumar and Rinku emerged as unlikely heroes with the ball in Kandy, steering the Indian cricket team to a thrilling victory in the third T20I and completing a clean sweep of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Before the thrilling match shifted to the super over, the main game was on a knife edge, as Sri Lanka needed just nine runs from the final 12 balls with six wickets still in hand. Facing daunting odds, the Indian captain made a bold decision, handing the ball to Rinku, who was making his T20I bowling debut.

The right-arm spinner delivered fantastically under immense pressure, taking two crucial wickets in the 19th over during Sri Lanka’s chase of 138 runs against India. The Indian batter dismissed a well-set Kusal Perera, who had scored 46 off 34 balls, and Ramesh Mendis, who managed just 3 off 6 balls while conceding only three runs in the 19th over.

With the equation down to six runs required from the last over, Suryakumar initially considered bringing in Mohammed Siraj to bowl the final over. However, the Indian captain was aware of the pitch's challenging conditions, and he decided to bowl himself for the first time in T20I cricket.

Harsha Bhogle praises Suryakumar Yadav's daring moves in the third T20I

The decision paid off handsomely, as the off-spinner kept his composure, claiming two key wickets in the final over. Yadav dismissed Kamindu Mendis, who scored just 1 off 3 balls, and Maheesh Theekshana (0) while conceding only five runs in the last 6 balls. The game ended in a dramatic tie, but the Men in Blue managed to register the victory in the super over, chasing down the three-run target on the very first ball.

Suryakumar expertly guided the ball to a fine leg for a boundary, sealing a remarkable win and a dominant series win over Sri Lanka. Having been amazed by Suryakumar and Gambhir’s leadership, Harsha Bhogle took to his social media platform to laud the Indian captain for this bold call.

Harsha Bhogle posted on X: “Who bowls Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav with 9 needed from 2 overs? Maybe the captain has the magic touch!”

Here's Harsha Bhogle's viral X post:

Who bowls Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav with 9 needed from 2 overs! Maybe the captain has the magic touch!

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 30, 2024

Indian captain Suryakumar was adjudged Player of the Series, and Washington Sundar was named Player of the Match for his all-round show in the third and final T20I against the Islanders in Kandy.

Sundar had first scored 25 runs off 18 balls and then finished with the impressive figures of 2/23 in four overs. Later, Suryakumar tasked the spin all-rounder to bowl the super over, and Sundar took two wickets in three deliveries, giving away only two runs to Sri Lanka.